Ford to launch four new cars in India over 18-20 months

Ford Motor Company plans to launch four new car models in India and is looking to increase the amount of locally-made parts to reduce the cost of its vehicles sold in the country, the head of its local unit said on Friday.

American automaker Ford's sales in India have increased 9.5 per cent to 84,469 vehicles in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, pushing its market share up to 3.4 per cent from 2.9 per cent a year ago, industry data showed.

"Within the next 18-20 months we plan to launch four new models in India," Nigel Harris, president of Ford India, told Reuters in an interview. He declined to elaborate.

Ford had said in 2010 it would launch 8 vehicle models in India, based on its global car platforms, by the end of 2015, a target the company is unlikely to meet due to the economic slowdown and sluggish car sales in the country.

"We will be close to that, but couple of the models will be deferred by a couple of years," said Harris.

(Reuters)